Spare a thought

While pilots and cabin crew are usually the public face of regional aviation spare a thought for the many dedicated LAMES across the country that keep the engines, airframes and avionics up to scratch.

It is clear that their motivation is more than salary when engineers arrive at work at 5.00am or earlier to ensure everything is checked out on a regional airliner or charter aircraft. There are often apprentices, young men and women, working alongside their experienced colleagues, intent on soaking up the years of experience. It takes at least four years to train a LAME and then more time learning from the old hands as well as staying abreast of all the ADs, maintenance control, safety management and ongoing technology changes.